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CC - Authorize the Release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to Provide Consultant Services for a Soft Story Building Survey and Preparation of a Seismic Retrofit Program.
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Meeting Date: September 11, 2018
Contact Person/Dept: Craig Johnson / CD
Sol Blumenfeld / CDD
Phone Number: (310) 253-5802
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (09/04/18);
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Community Development Director (09/04/18)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council authorize the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) from qualified engineering consultants (Consultant) with experience and technical qualifications to conduct a comprehensive survey of the City’s existing building stock to identify potentially vulnerable buildings during seismic activity. The Consultant will also assist with developing a seismic retrofit program and ordinance for the City. The City is looking for a Consultant that specializes in seismic building evaluations and retrofits as well as experience working with local municipalities in the region.
BACKGROUND
The City Council has directed staff to develop a program to identify soft story buildings and prepare a seismic retro-fit ordinance. A soft story building is typically defined as a multi-story building in which one or more floors have windows, wide doors, large unobstructed commercial spaces, or other openings in places where a shear wall (solid framed wall) would normally be required for stability. A typical soft story building is an apartment building of three or more stories located over a ground level with large openings, such as a parking garage or a series of retail businesses with large windows. Buildings are typically classified as having a "soft story" if the lowest level is less than 70% as stiff as the floor immediately above it, or less than 80% as stiff as the average stiffness of the three floors above it. Soft story buildings are vulnerable to collapse in a moderate to severe earthquake in a phenomenon known as soft story collapse
Several surrounding cities have implemented "soft story" building retrofit programs and others like the cities of Beverly Hills and Irvine are currently preparing ordinances.
The City of Los Angeles adopted Ordinance Nos.183893 and 184081 in 2015 mandating soft story retrofits to existing wood frame buildings consisting of two or more stories built under building codes enacted before January 1, 1978, and containing ground floor parking or other similar open floor space. 1
The City of Santa Monica in March 2017 passed Ordinance No. 25317, requiring mandatory seismic retrofits including soft story retro-fits to 2,000 city identified existing commercial and multi-family residential buildings in Santa Monica.2 The City of West Hollywood adopted Ordinance No. 17-1004 in April 2017 for soft story building retrofits.3
DISCUSSION
The proposals must contain the following components:
1. Project management and coordination: Meet with staff to discuss project goals and objectives and confirm the project schedule. Manage project and coordination activities, including coordination of subconsultants, if any, and administrative tasks.
2. Project initiation: Tour the city with City staff, and gather available data, maps, and documents.
3. Prepare a citywide survey: Identify and map all soft story structures. Map work shall be prepared in a form and format consistent with the City’s ESRI File Geodatabase. Prepare a list and summary matrix of all impacted properties including the following survey criteria for all buildings: a.) property address; b.) number of stories for each building; c.) number of units; d.) building square footage; e.) estimated year of construction; e.) building use (commercial, residential, mixed use, etc.); f.) photos of each building; g.) information with regard to the primary construction material (i.e. wood, steel, concrete masonry units (CMU), concrete, etc.); h.) comments with regard to potential seismic vulnerabilities (soft story, non-ductile concrete, etc.); and i.) other information as required for determination of potential seismic vulnerabilities.
4. Provide a separate list of properties identified as vulnerable: Identify and list by address potentially vulnerable structures
5. Prepare a general list of required retrofit measure: Identify general building retrofit measures to bring soft story structures into building code compliance. If parking in garage areas is impacted or is proposed to be removed with retrofit recommendations note the extent of the impact on map work and summary matrix.
6. Implementation schedule: Prepare a draft implementation schedule taking into consideration the building occupant load and classification, building size, construction type.
7. Draft building code amendment. Prepare a draft ordinance taking into consideration the retro-fit cost to property owners, timing to complete property retrofitting, building use, occupancy and other critical life safety issues related to soft story buildings. The building code amendment will include a retro-fit ranking schedule to prioritize which properties must be retro-fit most quickly given life safety concerns. The Consultant will work with the City to develop the framework for mandatory program implementation. The code amendment will include recommendations for the following: categorization of impacted properties into implementation tiers based on factors such as occupancy, building type and use among others; options for levels of compliance and provide a general cost estimate for typical retro-fit projects by implementation tier; and implementation tier timeframes for Program completion. Provide recommended guidelines for structural retrofits to potentially vulnerable buildings (FEMA, ASCE).
8. Report - Summarize survey findings and issues that will be addressed in the building code amendment and any required implementation measures including an estimated building code implementation schedule.
9. Hearings, meetings, and events: Attendance at meetings are required. Proposals should reflect time required to prepare for and attend hearings, meetings including but not limited to providing a minimum of five (5) meetings, three (3) meetings for all potentially impacted property owners, and two (2) City Council meetings, explaining the retrofit program and how it will function. Information should be geared for general audiences. The presentations should include the draft study findings and options for the retrofit program. The consultant will present the draft code amendment and will refine their recommendations based on the outcome of the City Council presentations. The consultant shall be available by phone and email to City staff to answer questions and coordinate information with regard to the Program.
Proposed RFP Schedule:
RFP Released: September 20, 2018, 3:00 p.m.
Deadline for Receiving Questions: October 4, 2018
Response to Questions: October 11, 2018
Proposals Due: October 25, 2018
Finalists Selected: November 15, 2018
Presentations/Interviews (if necessary) Week of November 26, 2018
Vendor Selected: December 10, 2018
FISCAL ANALYSIS
For FY18/19 $200,000 is budgeted under account number 10150150.619800.for a survey of existing buildings and a seismic retrofit program implementation plan for Seismic Soft Story buildings.
NOTES
1. The Los Angeles ordinances identified approximately 13,500 buildings and did not apply to residential buildings with 3 or less units. The Ordinances proscribed that property owners obtain a structural analysis within 2 years of notification, obtain applicable construction permits within 3.5 years and complete the improvements, or show that improvements are not necessary within 7 years. The Ordinances also limit the amount of soft story improvement costs that many be passed on to tenants in rent controlled buildings.
2. The Santa Monica ordinance gave owners of unreinforced masonry buildings 3 months to obtain a structural report, and 2 years to complete the required structural improvements. Owners of concrete tilt up buildings were given 4 months to obtain a structural report, and 3 years to complete the required structural improvements. Owners of soft story buildings were given 2 years to obtain a structural report, and 6 years to complete the required structural improvements. Owners of non-ductile concrete buildings were given 3 years to obtain a structural report, and 10 years to complete the required structural improvements. Owners of steel moment frame buildings were given 3 years to obtain a structural report, and 20 years to complete the required structural improvements. The City of Santa Monica ordinance also gave voluntary recommendations for foundation bolting and improvements to foundation cripple walls of single family residences, provided an appeal process and required a tenant relocation fee if a residential unit is proposed to be removed.
3. The West Hollywood ordinance, requiring soft story buildings built prior to January 1978, to submit a "screening report" to the city within one year, to submit retrofit plans to the city within two years, to obtain construction permits to complete the improvements within four years, and to complete the required improvements within five years. The Ordinance has exceptions for residential buildings with more than four units.
ATTACHMENTS
1. RFP#1903 Soft Story Seismic Retro-Fit Consultant Services
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Authorize the release of a Request for Proposals to provide consultant services for a Soft Story Building Survey and preparation of a Seismic Retrofit Program;
2. Provide other direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.